As an airbag apparatus for an automobile, there is an airbag apparatus for lateral collision where an airbag is developed forward from a side portion of a backrest at a time of lateral collision of an automobile to protect a vehicle occupant (refer to Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 9-136598 as a similar art).
In such an earlier technology, an airbag is developed forward while it is being expanded by gas injected from an inflator. Particularly in a case of an airbag apparatus for lateral collision, since a space between a vehicle occupant and a side wall of a vehicle body is narrow, the airbag is sometimes held between the occupant and the side wall during the development thereof, whereby the airbag is pressed downwardly. This is not preferable because, when the airbag is pressed downwardly, a developing speed of the airbag is reduced corresponding to a magnitude of the pressing force.